david seymour – Destination BCN Apartments – News and Views on Barcelonahttp://www.destinationbcn.com/blog
The DestinationBCN Blog is your source for news and views on Barcelona, designed to help you feel at home. Whether you're a fleeting visitor or here to stay, we're here to help you get a real feel for Barcelona. Benvinguts!Wed, 30 Nov 2016 16:35:31 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.5.4La Maleta Mexicana – The Mexican Suitcasehttp://www.destinationbcn.com/blog/2011/11/07/maletamexicana/
http://www.destinationbcn.com/blog/2011/11/07/maletamexicana/#respondMon, 07 Nov 2011 11:47:53 +0000http://www.destinationbcn.com/blog/?p=2046

The legendary Mexican Suitcase, a priceless record of the Spanish civil war, has recently made its journey from New York to Barcelona’s very own cultural epicenter, MNAC, el Museu National d’art de Catalunya. The so-called suitcase is actually a collection of three boxes comprising negatives by world-renowned war photographers Robert Capa (who later went on to found the progressive photojournalism agency, Magnum Photos), David “Chim” Seymour and Gerda Taro. Considered lost since 1939, the boxes arrived at the doors of the International Center of Photography, New York in 2007 – sixty-eight years later.

In the early 1930’s the trio diligently documented the unraveling political and military turmoil in Spain, risking life and limb to bring the front lines to the front pages. These photos not only constitute an invaluable record of the photographic innovation of the time, but also of the great political struggle within Spain to reverse the expansion of global fascism. The spreading civil unrest during this period led the photographers to record images of the escalating violence as fascism steadily extended its grip on the nation’s consciousness – beginning with calm, organised work strikes and street protests, morphing into anarchist riots and climaxing in the en-masse evacuation of entire communities, violent military coups and widespread bloodshed.

The exhibition itself displays wall upon wall of original contact sheets made from the 4,500 negatives contained within these boxes. It is a fascinating insight into the photographers’ minds – you see the action unravel frame by frame alongside their personal notes and original magazine cuttings. La Maleta Mexicana offers a profound insight into the realities of the Spanish Civil War and is a must for photography and history enthusiasts alike. The exhibition runs from 6th October until 15th January 2012-